The Iconic New England Wood Shake
The classic, New England, coastal home. Gorgeous, aged roofs. Dynamically colored – bleached by the sun. Can you still get a wood shake shingle look with modern day shingles? And is it easy to maintain? Yes!
(photo credit: New England Home)
History of the Wood Shake
Wood shingled roofs were one of the first roofing types used in North America. Many of the first settlers in the United States chose wood shingles because they were lightweight, made with simple tools and easily installed. Properly installed shakes provide long lasting weather protection and a rustic aesthetic, though they require more maintenance than some other more modern weatherproofing systems.
Dynamic Wood Shake Colors
Wood shingles or shakes offer a very natural look that can add a lot of character to any New England home. Wood shingles are available in cypress, pine, redwood, and popular red cedar. When wood is exposed to the effects of sunlight and precipitation, its surface begins to change. This change is typically referred to as weathering.
The initial red-brown color of cedar wood shake roofs tends to fade, which starts a graying process. The silvery gray color develops as a result of sunlight stripping the surface layer of certain cell-wall materials. Gradually, the silver gray will change to a darker, graphite gray, and ultimately to a brown/black color that completes the initial phase of the weathering process.
Why the wood shake shingle style?
Modern shingle styled roofing became popular in the 1800s, making it easier to combine the complex shapes and forms of the more ornate Queen Anne and Victorian design elements by encasing them within a smooth surface of wood shingles. Wood shingles unify the irregular outline of these houses.
Today, people value the iconic New England look but no one wants to deal with the high maintenance of wood shingle roofs. In New England, wood shake roofs require yearly maintenance.
So – how can you get this wood shake look with all the benefits of energy efficient materials and maintenance free construction? Choose a shingle!
GAF just released their brand new…
Glenwood Wood Shake Shingles
Glenwood™ Shingles are the ideal choice for homeowners who want the distinctive look of an authentic wood shake roof—with the added benefit of enhanced color options and the highest fire rating available.
The main disadvantages of wood shake roofing are high cost and high maintenance. The materials themselves can be expensive and without proper upkeep and repair, genuine wood shingles can fall prey to mold, insects, and roof rot. GAF’s Glenwood Shingles offer the same iconic wood shake style without the hassle of high maintenance.
Glenwood Shingles feature a triple-layer design that will give your roof the ultra-dimensional, highly desirable look of authentic hand-cut wood shakes. In fact, no other triple-layer asphalt shingle matches the thickness of Glenwood Shingles! There’s double the amount of asphalt in a Glenwood Shingle than there is in other standard shingles. And asphalt is your weatherproofing material, which means robust protection from whatever mother nature brings. So now you can distinguish your property the way it was always meant to be — with a top-performing, ultra-thick shingle that delivers all the natural beauty of real wood shakes.
